


Seven Ways From Sunday

by RikaRose



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Adult Content, Complete, F/M, Friends to Lovers, From Sex to Love, Multiple Sex Positions, Oral Sex, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-08 10:55:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12252918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikaRose/pseuds/RikaRose
Summary: She would run into him when he was on her mind, and he would choose a night when she was at her lowest to finally try and be a friend again. Too bad it was absolutely the worst night possible, and the consequences could either be the best thing that's ever happened to them or the end of them for good.





	1. Chapter 1

It was amazing how much life could change in the course of a few months. Bayley was feeling antsy, restless, unsatisfied. A few months ago she'd been riding high, she was the Raw Women's Champion, her friend Finn was returning from injury and she'd had a flirting, teasing, almost-there thing going with Seth. Now she'd lost the title, she'd barely seen or spoken to Finn, and she'd crashed and burned with Seth.

She wasn't sure what was going on with her and Finn. She'd expected to fall back into the easy friendship they'd shared back in NXT. She'd really missed him while he was out on injury and she was finding her feet on Raw, but things had been off between them ever since he got back. They'd hung out once or twice, but it had been way more awkward than it used to be. He'd been almost cold to her on more than one occasion and she'd pulled back, confused and uncertain on where she'd stepped wrong.

At least with Seth she knew exactly what had gone wrong. The fact of the matter was that she was too nice, too naive for Seth. He hadn't seemed to mind earlier on. He'd endured her artless school-girl flirting and still seemed interested, but as things started to heat up it became obvious he was way out of her league.

She wasn't a virgin, but with Seth she might as well have been. It had quickly gone from white-hot to bumbling awkward as her lack of experience met his expectations, and the one and only time they'd ever hooked up had been...disappointing. After that it had fizzled out fast, and she was left feeling inadequate.

With Tyler, Carmella, Becky, Charlotte and the New Day all on Smackdown, the state of her friendships with Finn and Seth, and with Sasha on a different schedule this week she'd been left without a travel companion. She probably could have found someone to ride with, but her mental state meant she'd almost prefer to be alone right now, which is why she'd decided she was going to power on through the night instead of staying here and heading out tomorrow. She was stopping at the gas station, hoping she could get a decent cup of coffee, and digging around for her keys when she looked up to see Finn right in front of her. She hadn't seen Finn in days, so of course she would run into him on a night when he was on her mind. If he cared enough to notice anymore she would have worried he'd be mad. He'd always hated when she drove by herself after a show. She quickly found out that even if he hadn't seemed to care that much about her recently, he was still angry.

"Bayley."

"Hi Finn."

"What are you doing?'

"I'm heading on tonight."

"With who?"

"Just me."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, but I'll be fine."

"You know how much I hate when you do that. It's not safe for anyone to drive by themselves when they're tired, but it's even more dangerous for a woman at night. You can't just pull over and get some rest without taking even more risks."

"I've driven at night before. I'll be fine."

"Dammit Bayley! That's not the point."

"Why do you care? You haven't talked to me in weeks. I'm none of your concern."

"Look I'm sorry, I know I've been an ass lately, that doesn't mean I don't care about what happens to you."

"You have a nice way of showing it," she snapped back. She could tell she'd pissed him off, his ice-cold blue eyes were staring her down.

"Look I've needed to talk to you anyway, why don't you come back with me, you can tell me why you're really sneaking off, and if you still want to leave in an hour I'll ride with you."

She really didn't want to talk about what was bothering her with Finn when he'd been a big part of her worries to begin with, but she knew him and the way he was looking at her told her it would be more trouble than it was worth to hold her ground, so she said, "Fine."

They both paid for their coffee, and she followed him back to the hotel. By the time they'd gotten settled in his hotel room, her anger had faded leaving her back to where she'd started, unsettled and unhappy. She was not in a good place right now. She was way too emotional, and she knew if he made her talk about it he was going to bear the brunt of that emotional storm.

"Not really. If you'd cared at any point over the last few months it might be different, but you don't really have any right to act like you do now."

"I'm sorry, truly Bayley. I let something someone said get in my head and screw me up for awhile. I shouldn't have listened to them, I knew better, but it still got to me. I shouldn't have brushed you off like I have been. I know I haven't been a very good friend lately, but please let me be one now." For a moment she felt like giving in when Finn looked at her like that. She'd always been a sucker for his blue eyes and that look, but then she replayed what he'd said in her head and suddenly the anger returned.

"What do you mean 'something someone said'? About me?"

"Yeah."

"Who? What did they say?"

"It was Seth, and it wasn't one thing he said so much as what he implied. Back when we were in rehab together, he kept dropping little hints, sneaking in little references, implying that you were acting a whole lot differently than the person I'd know. He knew just how to manipulate it to make it all seem plausible. He knew I wouldn't talk to him about it so he never had to come out and say anything outright. I know I shouldn't have let him get to me."

"No you shouldn't have. You should have talked to me."

"I know Bayley. It was stupid, but I can't change it now. I can't do anything but say I'm sorry and hope you will forgive me."

"Look I know just how manipulative Seth can be, I get that, but you really hurt me. At a time when I could have really used a friend, instead I was left worrying over what I'd done wrong."

"I know, and I'll find a way to make it up to you as long as you'll let me," he paused then said, "I thought you were friends with Seth, what do you mean you know manipulative he can be?"

"I thought we were friends too. Hell I thought we were heading towards being more than friends, but it turns out Bayley is too much of a little girl for Seth Rollins," she confessed bitterly.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Look I really don't want to talk about this with you Finn, it's really personal."

"I know I'm not the ideal person right now, but it's obviously bothering you enough to make you want to do stupid things like drive at night by yourself. You need to talk about it with someone, and right now I'm all you've got."

"Fine. You want to know all about how poor little Bayley can't ever keep a boyfriend because I don't have enough experience to know what I'm doing when it comes to sex? Apparently I'm too vanilla, too unsophisticated to know what men really want. You want to know how humiliating it is to feel like you might actually have a chance to find out what the big deal is about sex only to have the whole thing crash and burn again because you don't already know?" Finn looked at her. She knew he didn't know what to say to that, and she felt a little bit vindicated because he had been the one to insist that she talk about it. When he finally spoke he said,

"I know this is crazy coming from someone who listened to him when I shouldn't have, but if you know how much of a bastard Seth is now, why would you let his opinion matter that much?"

"Because it's not like it's the first time I've felt like this. When you have more than one guy tell you something like that, you start to believe it. Apparently I'm inadequate in that area, I'm just too naive to get it."

"You're not naive," he said and she scoffed at him.

"Okay, you're not naive in a bad way. You have a goodness and sweetness that is rare. There are plenty of guys who find that desirable. Not all guys want some kind of sophisticated super-model any more than all girls want some over-muscled action hero. Different men are attracted to different things. There are also the douche-bags of the world like Seth who see something like your innocence and they want to break it. He didn't drop you because you weren't enough, he dropped you because he realized he wasn't going to subvert who you are like he wanted to."

"You know this because you're best buddies with Seth now."

"Look I said I'm sorry. I messed up. I had already changed my mind about him before I ran into you tonight. It didn't take long after I got back to see what kind of person he is. Hell, the only reason I tried to be friends with him in the first place is because of you."

"It doesn't matter anyway. That doesn't make me feel any better. It doesn't make me feel like I'll ever be enough. I need something, I don't know what, but I can't shake this feeling just because you say so," she became more hystyrical as she spoke, "You don't know anything about me in that area, so how can you know it isn't me that's the problem? What I need to do is find someone to teach me." Though she hadn't intended to say that, hadn't even thought of it until now, the idea suddenly took root.

"What?"

"Yeah, actually now that I've thought about it, that's exactly what I need. Guys like the whole no strings attached thing right? I can find someone who will help me practice, show me all of the stuff I've never done that they all seem to expect."

"What the hell are you thinking Bayley?! That's crazy! Please tell me you're not going to do that."

"I can't leave things the way they are Finn, I can't."

"There's no way you could find someone you could trust enough not to tell the entire world after, and not all guys like the no strings attached thing. Yeah, some do, but the kind of guy who would be good to you Bayley wouldn't want that from you."

"I'm not looking for someone to be good to me. I want to know how to be good enough to keep that guy if I ever find him."

"God, please don't do this Bayley. That innocence that bothers you so much is a part of you-a really good part. You pick the wrong guy and he'll ruin that, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Fine, you have so many objections, why don't you do it then. You say I have to have someone I can trust, someone who won't ruin me. Well I trust you, you're my friend, or at least you're supposed to be. I can count on you to be good to me, right, and I know you're not with someone right now or you wouldn't have invited me in here, so why not?"

"Are you out of your damn mind?! I might not ruin you, but it could damn sure ruin our friendship-forever."

"Yeah like that bothered you a few months ago. The truth is you've kind of already done that, so I don't have a whole lot to lose in this situation and you owe me after what you did."

"I know okay. I know I owe you. I can't take it back, but please don't ask this of me."

"Why don't you just tell the truth, you don't want me anymore than they did. It is me that's the problem," she said practically shouting in his face. She felt like she was about to break.

He growled at her in frustration, running both hands over his head forcefully before he grabbed her shoulders, pushed her back against the wall and kissed her hard. He bruised her lips with his then demanded entrance with his tongue. She yielded to him completely. His whole body pressed up against hers. There was no part of him that was soft, but it still felt so good. Her hands automatically went up to his chest to brace herself, and as soon as she touched him she felt his hands on her lower back. He found the bottom edge of her shirt and slipped his hands underneath, running his palms up her bare skin. His tongue danced with hers, coaxing her until she grew bolder and embraced the sensation. She'd never felt heat like this, never felt like every part of her was connected to his lips on hers. Right when she was at the point where she forgot who she was with or what was happening, when she forgot even her own name, he jerked away. Backing up and breathing hard, he brought his hand up over his mouth, looking at her incredulously like he couldn't believe he'd done that. They stood staring at each other and breathing heavy for a moment before he stepped back towards her. His voice was low and rough when he said,

"Are you sure, are you absolutely sure?" and suddenly she wasn't. What the hell had she done? The way his eyes were burning into hers, she felt like she'd goaded him to his breaking point. Even so she felt herself nodding yes anyway.

"If we do this I have a few rules. I don't do no strings attached. I don't share. Ever. As long as we are doing this we see no one else, that's nonnegotiable. If either of us want out for any reason we say so, and we keep it low-key and we don't try to hide it.

She felt out of sorts. None of his rules were unreasonable, but they were a lot closer to an actual relationship than what she'd intended. The whole point of the original idea was to know exactly where she stood. His rules sounded like she wouldn't have a clue, and she didn't like that, but he was right that it would be really hard to find someone that she could trust the way she trusted him, and she knew that after that kiss there was no way she could back out now. It had been irrevocable, she would never look at him the same again, never be able to see him as just a friend.

"Okay," she said.

"Are you on birth control?"

"Yes," she replied feeling her cheeks warm. It was really weird to be answering that kind of question with Finn.

"Have you been tested recently?"

"Yeah, after Seth and there's been no one since."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. He took her mouth again kissing her feverishly. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her towards him. He quickly tugged her shirt up and off of her, his hands raking up her back before unhooking her bra and discarding it to the side. She gasped breaking away from the kiss, but he didn't give her time react before he attacked her neck, biting sharp at first and then gently as he applied more pressure. She felt molten heat shooting through her, delicious tingles making her ache for more. Her skin burned where he touched. His hands slid down over her ass and cupped it giving him the leverage he needed to pull her against him, grinding her into him. She felt almost faint and overwhelmed from the pleasure, her senses completely overloaded.

He turned them towards the bed and gently lowered her onto it before stepping back. She had a moment to catch her breath only for it to hitch again as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and popped the button on his jeans and pushed them off. Clad only in a pair of black boxer briefs, he leaned over and began tugging her jeans off. He gave her a slow appreciative grin when she wriggled to help aid the process. As soon as they were off he laid down on top of her, thrusting one hard thigh between her legs, the pressure causing everything to throb and tingle. She grasped at the sheets as he pressed his body down into her, skin meeting skin. He reclaimed her lips, her eyes closing automatically as his tongue sought hers. She felt faint from the pleasure, moaning low, completely lost in sensation. The kiss built the fire higher and higher until they both had to pull away gasping for breath. He kissed along her jaw until he reached her ear where he spoke barely above a whisper,

"Touch me."

His words helped bring her back to the moment and she released her death grip on the sheets. She ran her hands up his back luxuriating in the feel of his smooth skin and hard strength. The moment she touched his skin he moaned low, a sound that added more sparks to the flame growing inside of her and made her want to do anything to hear it again. Her hands reached his shoulders and she raked her nails lightly across the skin causing him to shiver and moan again, then she ran her hands through his hair pulling him towards her where she initiated a kiss this time. They both got lost in the kiss for a few moments, but the fire between them had reached a boiling point. Finn broke away running his hands down her body until he hooked his thumbs into the sides of her panties and pulled them off leaving her completely naked to him. He stepped back a moment running his gaze over her making her feel flushed. His eyes were so intense upon her she didn't have a chance to feel the embarrassment that she might have otherwise. He pushed his underwear off his hips, his lean chiseled frame a sight to behold. He didn't give her long to adjust to their state of undress. He spoke again and asked,

"Have you ever done any position besides missionary?"

She shook her head no, her cheeks starting to burn at the reminder of why she'd asked for this. He didn't give her time to dwell on it, he said,

"Good, turn around and get on your knees," the command brooked no argument, and she shifted to do what she was told even though it felt really awkward. As soon as she got into the position she heard him make a sound low in his throat then he said,

"My God, you are beautiful," his voice rough. She felt herself flush again, this time with pleasure as he ran his hands over her starting with the outsides of her thighs, up and over her ass pausing briefly to cup it, then all the way up her back and back down again, his hands ending on the insides of her thighs caressing her more intimately than she had ever been touched. If she thought she'd been faint from the pleasure before it was nothing compared to what he did next. His thumb found her clit stroking it first gently and then harder as she became accustomed to the feel of it. Her legs trembled as he found a rhythm and she lost track of reality. She sobbed when he pulled his hand away, but he didn't waste time as he entered her from behind in one quick movement, both of them groaning in pleasure. She'd never felt so full, and as he moved he hit a spot deep inside of her that caused a burst of pure ecstasy to run through her whole body. The whole world disappeared as everything focused on seeking that feeling, the only sounds those of their bodies moving together and their heavy breathing, gasping each time they met. She could feel something deep inside of her building higher and higher with every thrust.

He shifted their position, pulling her up so that they were both upright on their knees, her back against his chest. He fell back into rhythm as he ran his hands over her cupping her breasts, rolling the nipple between his fingers with one hand while the other continued down until he found her clit again. Whatever it was inside of her continued to build, the combination of all of the sensations proving too much as she felt like everything inside of her exploded, her vision going white as waves of pleasure crashed over her, each one overlapping the next.

The pleasure was almost to the point of pain before it began to ebb and she finally became aware of the world again. He was still moving with her, his movements becoming more frantic until he roared in pleasure finding his own release. He slowed, breathing hard, he dropped a kiss between her neck and shoulder and gently pulled out. She collapsed to the bed as he got up and walked into the bathroom. She heard the water running and a moment later he returned with a warm, damp cloth and gently cleaned her off.

Her muscles felt like lead, she couldn't move, couldn't do anything but enjoy the pleasant buzzing under her skin, everything still tingling. She knew this must be the afterglow she'd heard about but had never experienced, of course she'd also never had an orgasm like that. For now she couldn't help but be happy that she'd goaded Finn. Tomorrow she might feel different, but right now the inevitable consequences couldn't compete with almost nirvana like state that the amazing sex had left her in.

Finn returned a moment later. He turned off the lamp and climbed into the bed with her pulling the blankets over both of them. He pulled her up against him, wrapped his arm around her and relaxed. With the feeling of his warm skin cocooned around her she was asleep in minutes.


	2. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It changes everything, so where do they go from here?

Bayley woke up immediately recognizing that something was off. She was naked. She never slept naked, too many years of splitting apartments and sharing hotel rooms had prohibited it. Not only was she naked, she was naked with someone, she was naked with a naked someone. Her brain scrambled to catch up and suddenly she remembered everything. She remembered running into Finn, confessing way more then she'd meant to which had led to her practically loosing her mind and goading Finn into having sex with her...really good sex with her. Oh god. What in the hell had she done (okay and maybe could they do it again...really, really good sex). Her brain was equal parts horrified and wanton. She'd never had sex that was even close to that good, but Finn had been her friend, one she'd been missing horribly and he'd wanted to fix that. Instead she'd forced the situation until they got where they were now. Naked. Her brain probably would have recycled her train of thought escalating her panic, if it hadn't been for Finn waking. He'd taken one sleepy-eyed look at her, saw her panicking and did the one thing that had kept her occupied and not thinking the night before-he kissed her.

Once he had her completely distracted he released her mouth to move to her breasts, seemingly determined to give them the attention they'd been denied the night before. She gasped as his hot, wet mouth encompassed one nipple and then the other, using his hands to ensure they both received equal attention. She was trying to remember why she'd been about to get up, but her brain had short-circuited. He lifted one of her legs up over his hip and thrust inside of her in one fluid motion, causing her to throw her head back moaning in pleasure. Their encounter the evening before had been drawn out and deliberate, but today he kept a steady furious pace, rapidly driving her to the brink with ease. He kissed her right before she came, swallowing her cries of pleasure as she fell apart in his arms. She blacked out for half a second, coming to just in time to witness his orgasm. They collapsed back into the bed, still wrapped around each other and breathing heavy.

It was several minutes later before either moved. Finn was the first to sit up. He got out of the bed and came around to the side where she was laying. His eyes ran appreciatively up and down her naked form for a few seconds before he grabbed her hands and pulled a little indicating he wanted her to get up.

"Come on."

"I don't want to move."

"I know, but if you don't you're going to be really sore, let's go take care of it."

She wasn't sure what he wanted at first, but it didn't take long for her to figure it out. He pulled her into the bathroom and turned the shower on hot, the steam quickly filling the small room. He indicated she should get in, and he stepped in behind her where he proceeded to gently wash her down from head to toe, including her hair where he massaged her scalp until she was completely relaxed. He washed himself after her and she took the sponge from him to help, enjoying scrubbing over the planes of his back. Afterwards he held out a hotel robe for her to step into and gently steered her back to sit on the bed. He brought a comb out his bag and sat behind her so he could run it through her damp hair. By the time he was finished she was starting to feel a lot more like herself.

"Are you okay?"

"I think, yeah."

"We both committed to this last night. We can't back out now, it's too late, but I can understand panicking. We changed everything."

"I was really emotional last night."

"I know. What's done is done though."

"God I'm sorry Finn. I really didn't mean to ruin our friendship."

"You didn't, not yet anyway. I'm still your friend. It will be up to us to keep it that way going forward."

"Why are you so calm about everything?"

"Because we can't go backwards so there's no need to dwell on it, and the turn of events might not have been what I expected, but I think you know after last night that this thing between us has a lot of potential. Well that and I've been celibate for months and now I've gotten off twice in the last few hours. That makes it hard to be bothered about much."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why have you been celibate?"

"A combination of things. The injury mostly, not feeling like myself, and since I've got back and settled in I've been too consumed with everything going on with you to notice even if an opportunity had popped up." She wasn't sure what to say to that. Though he'd brought it on himself, it made her feel a little funny inside to think that he'd been more worried about her than sex, even after going without for months. When she did speak she broached the subject that had been weighing at the back of her mind.

"So what exactly are we doing then?"

"My rules still stand. I don't do no stings attached. I know that's what you originally had in mind, but I'm not built that way. I told you some guys don't want that, and I'm one of them."

"Okay. So there's strings. What does that mean?"

"It means I'm going to show you just how fucking beautiful you really are, and we can explore all of the things you've never been able to do before because you dated a bunch of assholes. It means you can stop talking all of that nonsense about you being inadequate because it's not even close to being true. It means we're together, and if one of us decides that we want out for some reason then we end it, but until then you're mine," he said the last part almost growling which made her shiver, but she was still unsure of what he intended. Were they dating? God that was weird, but if they were having sex exclusively with each other then what else could it mean? She tried to ask but it kept coming out nonsensical,

"How together is together?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know, okay. I didn't expect this, and I don't know what to think," she blurted out.

"You said you could count on me to be good to you-well I can't do that if I'm treating you like some kind of fuckbuddy. We're still friends, I still want to spend time with you doing things that involve keeping our clothes on, and yeah I really want to keep doing all of the things that involve taking our clothes off too. You're the only one I will be with and I expect you to treat me with the same courtesy." She knew she wasn't going to get the answer she was looking for, not that he was at fault, he might be able to answer if she could figure out the question first, so instead she said,

"And the rest of your rules?"

"Are just common sense for dealing with the press and social media. Trying to hide anything always blows up in your face. It's better just to avoid anything obvious and let them draw their own conclusions."

"You really think that's going to be an issue?" she said. This whole thing was way more complicated than she had intended. The original thought was that it would be something that was fairly short-lived. He must have understood her train of thought because he stepped forward until he was close enough to kiss her.

"It's going to take us a long, long time to do everything I plan to do to you," he said, his voice deepening, his heated gaze running over her body. Despite everything they'd done over the last few hours she still flushed, a little embarrassed and a lot turned on.

"One more thing. Seth Rollins."

"What about him?"

"After all of the history between you and him and between me and him, I can't tolerate him anywhere near you. I need you to promise that if he bothers you, which I'm sure he will, that you will let me handle it."

"I don't have a problem with that-the less I see of Seth Rollins, the better, but you know better than anyone how much of an asshole he is. I can't control his actions."

"Just avoid him as much as possible and when you can't come get me or Luke or Karl. If none of us are around find Matt or Jeff. Seth is a snake and the moment he finds out I have what he wanted he's going to try and bite us for it."

"You really think he's going to care? He didn't want me, why would he?"

"You don't understand how guys like Seth work. I told you last night, the way he treated you had nothing to do with him not wanting you. Believe me he still wants you, he just couldn't corrupt you like he thought he could, and he thinks of you like a toy he can drop and pick back up again when he feels like it. I'm pretty sure the reason why he said all of that stuff to me was because he wanted to drive us away from each other. He knew how close we were, and he assumed correctly that if I had been around I would have figured out his game and warned you, so he found a way to ensure I wasn't. I have a feeling he's not going to take it well when he realizes that he can't just take over where he left off with you, especially when he realizes it's because of me."

"I know I'm naive, but I'm not stupid. I wouldn't have taken him back either way."

"I know that, but that's not how he's going to see it."

"I still think you're overestimating how much he cares, but I promise that you can take care of it if it becomes a problem."

"When it becomes a problem. I need you to take this seriously for me please."

"Okay, I will," she said. She might not think it was a big deal, but it obviously was to him, so she let it go, "So what is the plan for today?"

"I'd planned to ride with Luke and Karl, but if it's alright, I'd like to ride with you."

"Yeah I'd like that. We haven't rode together in a long time."

"Well that won't be a problem going forward. I'd like to ride together at least part of the time from now on. I know you ride with Sasha a lot."

"I don't want to give up all of my time with Sasha, but it would be nice to spend some time with you. I've really missed you Finn." He looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, then leaned over and kissed her lips. Though it was brief it still set her heart racing.

"I've missed you too," he said then he stood up and offered her a hand, helping her up off of the bed. When she stood up it placed her standing only a few inches from him. He smiled at her, a little bit of the shy, sweet man who'd been her friend shining through. It was a relief to see a glimpse of that side of him again. It had been an amazing experience learning the seductive, sensuous side of Finn, but she was glad the other part still existed.

...

Riding with Finn that day helped restore her equilibrium. They talked, they listened to music, and they were easy together they way they had been before. It was the first time since they were in London last December that she felt like she had her friend back. He shared pictures of his latest Lego creations, mostly what he'd done while he'd been stuck rehabbing his shoulder, and they talked about the movies that they hadn't had time to see but wanted to. They talked about their friends and how happy they were to be working with some again and how much they missed the others. So many of their old friends from NXT were on Smackdown and on a different travel schedule, so she was glad to see how happy Finn was to have Karl and Luke around. She remembered how much he'd missed them. Though they'd never had trouble before with delving into deeper subjects, today they avoided them, and they stayed far away from the subject of sex or what had happened between them.

When they arrived at the hotel she was unsure of how to proceed. Sasha would be rejoining them tomorrow, but for tonight she'd had a room reserved for herself. Finn hadn't mentioned his plans, and she wasn't sure of what he would want, so she was trying to work up the courage to ask. When they got out of the car Finn got both of their bags, and she didn't protest, knowing it would be pointless. She'd become accustomed to the way he did things a long time ago. He was one of those guys who'd been brought up to carry bags, open doors, and pull out chairs for women, which she'd always thought was kind of sweet. Before they left the car Finn stopped her and said,

"I'd like you to stay with me tonight," and suddenly the sexual tension was present again. He'd looked her in the eyes when he said it and chills rolled up her spine, she could almost feel his touch, her body already longing to feel the way he'd made her feel again. She replied,

"Okay," without even thinking about it, and they'd lingered for a moment looking at each other silently. He smiled at her and gestured for them to leave, so she started walking toward the lobby knowing he would follow. Finn checked in and handed her the second key when he was done, which had felt really weird, then they'd made their way to the elevators.

They'd barely sat their bags down in the room when Finn grabbed her and claimed her mouth with his. He kissed her like she was a dessert he wanted to savor. His tongue found hers, slowly sliding together and apart, and she could feel his beard scratching lightly against her skin as her heart kicked into overdrive, pounding fiercely. Heat seeped through her veins. He took his time, drawing out the fire between them. A deep ache settled into her lower belly that expanded out into her body until every nerve ending was charged, anxious for more. She wasn't sure what was so special about Finn, a man she'd always considered as nothing more than a dear friend, that he could make her feel more with a simple kiss than any many who'd ever touched her. Though she could feel the hard length of him against her, he pulled away. Looking at her intensely he said,

"Later."

She didn't have time to protest, his phone rang and he stepped out onto the balcony to answer it. She felt almost cheated, but it had also left her keyed up and energized in a strange way. A moment later he stepped back in with his phone still to his ear and asked,

"Do you have plans or do you want to come with the me and the guys to get a late lunch?"

"No plans, so I guess, sure."

"Great," he replied favoring her with one of his trademark smiles before turning back to his conversation. She wondered why she'd never noticed before just how sexy that smile was, especially because after the kiss a few minutes ago that was all it took to set her back on edge. When he returned to the room a few minutes later he'd looked at her giving her another smile and dropped a slow, light kiss on her lips making them tingle pleasantly. He let her know they were going to ride with the guys, and they would be picking them up soon, so they were back out the door within moments.

She clammed up in the car. She was normally a very gregarious person, making friends with almost everyone she met, and it wasn't like she'd never been around Karl or Luke before, but this was different. All of the insecurities about where things stood with Finn came back to her making her uncomfortable. Though Finn had told her he didn't want to hide it, it still surprised her that he was so nonchalant about it. When they got to the restaurant he'd pulled out her chair for her then pulled his close enough that he could sit with his arm across the back of hers. The guys noticed immediately. Karl grinned and said,

"Whoa, what have we got here?" then Luke had followed with,

"Bayley your girl now?"

Finn didn't reply, he just grinned at the them and kissed her temple. They'd whooped and hollered for a minute and she'd turned bright red, but Finn had taken the teasing in stride and they settled down fairly quickly. To their credit, after the initial teasing they'd acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary, including her in the conversation like she'd always joined them. She relaxed and managed to enjoy herself. By the time they left the restaurant she felt like like she'd made two new friends, and at the very least she knew she would be comfortable around them in the future.

For the rest of the day Finn continued to steal brief but heated kisses whenever they had few seconds alone. At the arena he was less obvious than he had been at lunch, but he still made no attempt to hide that something had changed between them. She also came to the conclusion that Finn had been actively avoiding her before. She'd barely caught glimpses of him backstage for months, but that wasn't the case now. She wasn't very close with most of the Raw women's roster, excluding Sasha of course, so she never lingered in the locker room for long. She'd been catching up with Dustin in the hall when Finn walked up. He greeted them both, but then he'd put his arm around her, pulling her into his side.

He'd had her so charged all day long that she practically melted into him. Her whole body relishing even an innocent touch. Dustin had taken one look at them and grinned, but he didn't say anything. They stood there the three of them chatting for awhile before Dustin excused himself to get ready. As soon as they were alone Finn had pulled her in and kissed her again. He was driving her to absolute distraction, and she was afraid of how much more she would have to endure before she exploded. After that though, there were no more opportunities to be alone until they got back to the hotel that night.

As soon as they stepped into their room that night and the door closed behind them, he kissed her, once again taking his time. He pressed her up against the back of the door, and she put her arms around his neck as they moved together languorously, their tongues dancing slow and smooth like honey. She enjoyed the measured pace just as much as she had the frantic one earlier in the day. She savored how much more aware she was of everything, the feel of his soft lips against hers, the hard strength of his body, the slow-burn buildup of heat in her belly that seemed to grow until it burst sending a shock-wave of want throbbing in her veins. When he pulled away again though she protested,

"Please Finn, I'm not sure I can take much more."

"You'd be surprised how much you actually can take, but don't worry, not much longer now." He'd looked at her with an almost feral, hungry look in his eyes, and continued, "Take off your clothes."

He made no move to do the same or to assist her and it felt really awkward. She'd never just stripped down in front of someone like that, and she hesitated, not sure what to think. He smiled when he noticed her reluctance and stepped close to her, he said,

"I want to see you. Can you show me that beautiful body of yours?" His gentler tone, the softer look that came in his eyes helped set her more at ease and she slowly began to take her clothes off, becoming more confident as she went and as she got to see how he reacted. He watched her intently, his breath catching as she revealed more of her skin. When she stood before him completely naked he continued to look at her, his gaze making her whole body feel heated and anxious. Finally he said,

"Sit down on the edge of the bed," so she did, then he continued, "Lay down." She felt completely exposed and a little uneasy. He removed his outer layer of clothing, and then surprised her by dropping to his knees before her. Her breathing accelerated, and then she gasped which turned into a moan as he began kissing the inside of her thighs. She could almost feel the blood running hot in her veins, rushing towards the most intimate part of her. The kisses turned to licks and gentle bites, trailing across her skin until he reached her sex. She'd never had anyone do this before. Of course she'd heard about it, but all of her previous sexual experiences had either been brief like with Seth or in the case of her one prior serious relationship-he hadn't wanted to try it and she'd never pushed. She didn't know what to do with her hands, wasn't sure how to react, but it didn't take long for her to forget all of that, forget herself completely. Like he had with his kisses throughout the day, he savored her, licking slowly, using his tongue to explore every inch of her. He sucked her clit into his mouth, biting down gently, and she heard herself call his name, breathless, almost desperate. He pushed her past all thought until there was nothing but feeling as he built the flames higher and higher. She felt his hands as he curled two long fingers inside of her and pressed down on something that felt like it was directly connected to her clit. The pressure was amazing, almost painful and overwhelming. His mouth, still intent on her clit flicked across it with is tongue and the combination of the two sent her over the edge, convulsing in pleasure, his name on her lips.

When she became aware of the world again he was lying next to her naked, having at some point divested himself of the rest of his clothing, and he was trailing his fingers lightly across her skin. He smiled softly when she looked at him. She wanted to tell him how amazing that had been, how she'd never felt anything like it, but she couldn't seem to speak. He spoke instead his voice deep and quiet,

"You are so exquisite, you respond so beautifully to me, I don't understand how any man could ever make you feel like you weren't enough." She wasn't sure how to respond to that, but it made her heart skip a beat, as he stared intently into her eyes. "Are you ready for more?" She noddded feeling a little shy and he kissed her, pulling on top of him. It was different feeling herself press down on him instead of the other way around. He helped her line everything up and she slid down on top of him. An 'Oh' slipped out of her mouth. She could feel everything. He said,

"Ride me sweetheart. Let me that me see that incredible body move on me."

Yet another new experience for her, his words were a catylyst for her to let go and she did. She moved, finding a rhythm that had them both panting, he helped, moving with her increasing the the force as they came together and apart. Incredibly she could feel the fire rising inside her again. He moved, sitting them up with her straddling his lap on her knees. He placed his hands on her hips helping her momentum which combined with the extra leverage allowed her to increase their speed. He cupped her face with his hands and said,

"Come with me love."

She could feel his body tensing even as her own trembled, and she fell apart. Her second orgasm was less intense, but deeper, and she gave way to it, allowing it to sweep over her in waves of euphoria.


	3. Possession

It wasn't until the next day that it occurred to her that she wasn't going to be able to avoid it--she would have to tell Sasha. What exactly she was going to tell her though she didn't know. Finn had cleverly managed to tell his closest friends without even saying a word, which also meant he'd avoided putting any kind of label on it, but she couldn't do that with Sasha. How was she going to explain to her that she'd suddenly hooked up with a guy she'd always been just friends with before? That she was in a maybe-relationship that was only vaguely defined, but she probably wouldn't be around as much because she was going to be too busy fucking him seven ways from Sunday, and because maybe she finally got why people talked about sex like it was the best thing since sliced bread. Of course knowing Sasha, she wouldn't blink an eye at any of that, but Bayley was certain she would never be able to get even half of it out. As close as she was with Sasha or even Carmella she had never been comfortable talking about sex with them. She had of course. Neither of them was shy about anything and they wouldn't let her get away with not talking about it. They both still found it funny when she would blush and get embarrassed if they got a a little too graphic or personal. Also knowing Sasha, she would find a way to get it out of her anyway, but Bayley wasn't looking forward to it.

It turned out she didn't even have to say anything to Sasha. Sasha had taken one look at her and known something was different when she'd picked her up. As soon as they got into the car she said,

"Alright, spill sister." Bayley knew better then to try and play it off, but she still hadn't figured out what to say so it came out anyway,

"What?"

"Don't even try to act like it's nothing. What's happened? Did you finally get laid by someone worth a damn?" Bayley felt her whole face flush, she didn't get a word out but it must have been written on her face.

"Oh. My. God. You did! I was just playing. Seriously? Who was it?"

"Um...Finn?" she said, though for some reason it came out as more of a question than a statement.

"Oh my god you are serious. Good for you. Hell, good for him. He finally did something about it. How did this happen? Oh I bet it was good, by the way you are blushing it must have been damn good. I'm so happy for you. I told you the right man was gonna turn you inside out and you'd know why that bullshit your ex told you was a lie." Bayley didn't know how to respond, Sasha had dropped more than one revelation to consider. What came out was,

"My ex wasn't the only one who said that, Seth kind of implied the same thing."

"You've got to be kidding me. I'll kill him."

"I kind of promised Finn that I would let him handle it."

"Really now? So how exactly did this happen? Last I heard you and Finn weren't even talking."

"Apparently Seth had implied a lot of stuff about me and let Finn think I was acting way different, and the idiot didn't think to talk to me first. He apologized two nights ago."

"So how did you go from apologies to lovers?"

"Um, I kind of lost my mind on him. I wasn't in the best place a couple of nights ago, I told Finn I was gonna find someone to have a fling with who could teach me what I don't know, and it freaked him out."

"Um, yeah! That's not like you, I don't blame him."

"I know, and the truth is I probably wouldn't have had the guts to go through with it once my head had cleared, but by that point it was too late. When Finn was trying to talk me down I told him that if he had a problem with it then he should do it."

"You didn't!"

"Yeah, and then he kissed me."

"Well at least he did something, it's about damn time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you guys have been friends for a couple of years, but anyone with eyes could have told you that all you would have had to do was say the word and he would have taken more."

"Dude! No way."

"Yes way. You do not see yourself clearly. He's not the only one I've ever seen you be completely oblivious too, though he might be the most obvious. You can't ever tell when a guy is into you unless he's being an obnoxious prick, which is my theory on why you've dated so many assholes. I really thought Seth was different though or I wouldn't have encouraged you with him."

"Hey that's not your fault. He had us all fooled."

"Believe me I won't make that mistake again. So are you and Finn together now?"

"Um, yes, maybe. I'm not a hundred percent certain."

"How do you not know that?"

"He insisted we're together, but he didn't put a label on it, we're definitely exclusive, but I have no idea how serious he intends for it to get, and it's still based on him teaching me about sex, so I don't know what will happen once that draws to it's inevitable conclusion. It's been an amazing, scary couple of days."

"So why don't you ask him?"

"I tried. I couldn't seem to form a coherent question."

"And you're scared of the answer."

"Yeah, um, that too."

"I have a feeling he's a lot more invested in it than you seem to think he is."

"You can't know that. And you're right. I am scared. I've never felt like this before."

"Oh sweetie, you need to talk to him about it sooner rather than later or you're going to get your heart broken."

"It's too late for that. I already know that losing him for good once this is all over is going to be one of the worst things I'll ever have to go through. Losing him a couple of months ago was hard and confusing, but this time I'll know it was on me, and there will be no way to fix it."

"You're assuming it's going to end badly."

"It's hard to see how anything else is even possible, people don't go back to being just friends after sharing what we have."

"You don't think it's possible that it could go the other way?"

"I don't know. I think I'm afraid to even consider it. If I let my heart get any more involved in this than it already is, then when it blows up like it always has before, it will break me." She confessed feeling herself tear up at even the thought of it. Sasha leaned over and hugged her and the tears came easy. They stayed like that for awhile until Bayley felt like she could compose herself then she started the car and changed the subject asking Sasha about her recent travels. They kept things light for the rest of the car ride.

...

Over the following weeks they fell into a pattern. She split her time between riding with Sasha and with Finn, but she spent every night possible in Finn's bed. He was constantly finding ways to bring her to new heights, addicting her to his touch, and she couldn't get enough of him. He hadn't lied though when he'd said he wanted to spend time with her outside of the bedroom too. They watched movies, grabbed meals, worked out and found things to do in the various towns they visited. Sometimes they were alone, other times they were joined by some of their circle of friends. Everyone treated them like a couple, and sometimes it was easy to forget the unconventional agreement that had started it all.

Despite Finn's fears Seth hadn't given her any trouble so far. Of course she hadn't actually talked to Seth. She had a constant buffer of friends around her who wouldn't let him anywhere near her. Sasha in particular had not taken it well that she had misjudged him so much and she was like a mama bear guarding her cub, but even her newer friends like Karl ensured that he was discouraged from approaching her.

Inevitably though he was going to find an opening. It was on a Monday night when that finally happened. She'd left Sasha behind in the locker rooms catching up with Alicia, but she hadn't seen any of their usual group hanging around so she'd found a quiet corner to sit down and play on her phone and didn't even notice Seth approaching.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Is it really little Bayley without her bodyguards?" She wondered why she'd never noticed before just how obnoxious Seth was when he talked. She'd never thought to compare him with Finn before, but right now it was obvious to her what she should have seen months ago. While both had amazing physiques and similar builds, that was where their similarities ended. Finn was naturally humble, confident in himself but mindful of others. Seth was selfish and occasionally cruel. She wasn't sure what had attracted her to him originally, but she knew now that she would happily take Finn's devious smirk over Seth's smug grin any day.

"Damn, and the night was going so well. Leave me alone Seth. I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh, but I have plenty to say to you. Like how come I'm chopped liver all of a sudden? I thought we were friends."

"Friends don't treat each other the way you treated me Seth."

"Come on. Just cause we didn't work out doesn't mean you have to be like that. I was just looking out for you. We weren't at the same place in our lives. I told you it was still an option for the future," he stepped close, uncomfortably close and she felt the need to get him out of her personal space.

"I wasn't interested in an option for the future and you know that. The truth is you didn't really meet my needs, so I moved on," unfortunately not only did he not step back, but now she'd pissed him off and he got even more in her face. His voice full of contempt, he said,

"Yeah, with that geek Finn. You know that happened awful quick. What did you do, offer to blow him backstage every night because we both know that's the only thing you had any skill..." he didn't get to finish his sentence. Finn came out of nowhere and attacked him, punching him repeatedly until he had him backed up against a wall.

"Oh God," She said when Finn wrapped his hands around Seth's throat and despite their similarities in height lifted him a few inches off of the ground. Seth's face was turning purple and she heard Finn growl,

"You will never speak about her that way again, do you hear me! Don't talk to her, don't even come near her or you will regret it," then Finn flung him into the nearest piece of backstage equipment, Seth hit it with a loud thud then rolled sprawled out in the floor. The commotion had people running to see what was going on.

Finn had looked at her with fire in his eyes, and she knew this was the part of him that made him a good fighter, that had won him championships wherever he went, and she was completely turned on by it. She wished they weren't in such a public place because right now she wanted so bad to kiss him. He said,

"Come on," and she followed without thought, leaving Seth in the floor for others to worry about. As soon as they were away from the crowd of people Finn backed her up against a wall and kissed her hard. They were both lost to it, uncaring of who might see them. When their mouths broke apart he nipped along her jaw with his teeth until he found his favorite spot on her throat where he sank his teeth in, gently enough to not really hurt but with enough pressure to make her weak in the knees and she moaned loudly as goosebumps rose on her skin. As distracted as they were they might have completely forgot their public location if it hadn't been for someone clearing their throat loudly. They broke apart, Bayley feeling just a little embarrassed, though thankfully it was Sasha who was smirking at them and not someone who would get them in trouble.

"You two are kind of disgustingly cute and all, but hello? Time? Place? Besides Finn you might want to go see Kurt before he comes and finds you." Finn nodded at her in acknowledgement, but then he couldn't seem to resist kissing her lips briefly one more time before he went to go find the GM. After he'd departed Sasha said,

"Damn sister, that was hot." She was still trying to catch her breath and calm her libido, but she couldn't help but reflect that yeah, it really had been. It was amazing to her how far she'd come with Finn in such a short period of time, how much more comfortable she was with her own desires. Sasha continued, "So have you talked to him yet?"

"No," she replied. The truth was that she hadn't really tried because she was terrified of the outcome. Good or bad it could change the precarious balance they currently had, and she really, really liked where they were now. She had Finn, her friend, during the days, a man she'd always had an easy rapport with, and at night she had Finn, her lover, who had shown her all of the wonders and joys of having regular, amazing sex. She didn't want to give up either. Sasha just shook her head at her, but didn't force the subject and the two of them went to go see what kind of music Finn would be facing for his actions.

It turned out that Finn had managed to get off fairly light. One of the crew had apparently heard what Seth had said to her and was able to corroborate Finn's version of the events, and so he'd simply got a warning. Seth had been ordered to keep away from both her and Finn, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

...

He attacked her from behind keeping her arms pinned back his teeth sinking into the column of her throat. She gasped for breath, though she hadn't expected it her body responded immediately. Her heart beat furiously, prickling desire racing under her skin, the ache deep inside of her that called for his touch returned with a vengeance. She took short shallow breaths as she anticipated whatever he would do next. He bit up her throat twice more and nipped at her jaw. His voice rough and gravelly he spoke low in her ear,

"You're mine. No one else touches you," he released his grip on her and commanded, "Clothes off. Now."

She hastened to do what he asked, stripping down to nothing in record time. When she stood before him naked, he smirked at her, eyes roaming hotly over her bare skin. He pulled her to him taking her lips in a rough, brief kiss then released her again and said,

"Turn around," she did as he asked and he used his body to pin her arms behind her once again. Wrapped around her from behind, he was able to run his hands over her skin, up her stomach, cupping her breasts with both hands squeezing and stroking them until she was gasping, fighting for breath. His hands continued their exploration until he cupped her sex, stroking it roughly, he quickly found her clit with his fingers. She cried out and her knees gave way. It was a testament to his strength as he kept her in place, continuing to stroke her until she was delirious with pleasure. He knew her body now, knew when her breathing changed that she was beginning to approach her peak. She sobbed when he took his hand away, reaching down to scoop her legs out from under her, he lifted her bridal style and carried her to the bed, laying her down in the middle of it. She whimpered when he walked away though he returned only a moment later carrying a neck tie. He used the tie looping it through the headboard and told her,

"On your knees," and she complied. Once she was where he wanted her he took her hands looping the tie around her wrists and tying them together to the headboard. If it was possible her heart raced even more, uncertainty and anticipation mixed together. He quickly removed his own clothing and joined her on the bed. He trailed wet kisses up her spine then nipped back down it with his teeth causing her to shiver. He gently but firmly pressed her face and chest down to the bed so only her ass remained in the air and used his leg to force her legs apart. With one hand still in the middle of her upper back pressing her down into the bed he entered her, the angle making everything more intense. He was rough, pounding into her with force, and she had already been on edge. His furious pace, the angle that allowed him to hit her deep inside, and her already heightened arousal was too much and she couldn't have held back the orgasm that swept over her even if she'd wanted to. He didn't slow, prolonging her pleasure until she cried out,

"Please, no more," he abruptly pulled out and without untying her he flipped her over onto her back. He grabbed a pillow and wedged it underneath her lower back, pulling her legs up over his shoulders. He ran his hands down her legs then up her stomach until he reached her breasts. He rolled each nipple with calloused fingers before running his hands back down her stomach and grasped her hips lifting her so he could enter her again. The way he had her legs positioned helped apply more pressure deep inside of her and he gentled some to allow for the abuse she'd already taken. He was slowly driving her back up again and his hand found her clit, the sensitive spot primed for his touch, his voice low and rough he said,

"This is mine, no one else can have it. Tell me sweet girl. Tell me it's mine."

"Oh God, yes. Yours," she sobbed as she felt her second orgasm overtake her and he roared his own release.

...

She woke in the middle of the night. She was still naked, her body curled partially on her side around the blankets that had balled up underneath her, and spread out on the bed. She couldn't feel Finn, so she sleepily looked around and saw him standing, staring off. She asked,

"Everything okay?" He looked down and smiled softly then came over and crawled up the bed. He ran a warm palm up her back before settling in, pulling her against him.

"Yeah love. Go back to sleep," she murmured an assent already drifting off with the warmth of his skin against hers.


	4. Emotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha was right, as usual.

Bayley knew she should have listened to Sasha. She and Finn couldn't keep going the way they had been forever, she knew something had to give eventually, but she was still stunned by the the way things played out.

"So my parents are coming in for my birthday," Finn said one night while they were laying in bed.

"That's great Finn," she said though in all honesty it made her nervous and unsure. She'd continued book a room for herself, but she always hoped she wouldn't have to use it. She wasn't comfortable with what staying with him would look like to his parents though so she might not have a choice. She'd also been looking forward to spending his birthday with him, but if his parents would be there then he would understandably want to spend it with them. Finn completely surprised her though with his next words,

"I'd like you to spend the day with us."

"I don't know Finn. Don't you want that time with just your parents? Wouldn't that be a little awkward?"

"I do want to spend it with my parents, but I also want you there, and why would it be awkward? You've met them before."

"Yeah. That was before, things are a lot different now."

"Exactly. They are different. You should be there."

"I don't think I would be very comfortable around them with the way things are."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Please Finn. Can we just drop this?" She didn't understand why he was being so insistent, he knew the shaky nature of their relationship. Spending time with the other's parents was real territory and she didn't want to feel like she was lying to them, but she certainly wasn't going to tell them the truth of the way things were either. His next words stunned her.

"No. I'm not okay with just dropping this. I don't understand what's wrong with asking my girlfriend to spend the day with me and my parents." He sounded exasperated, but she barely noticed anything except the word 'girlfriend'. He'd never called her that before, and now he was saying it like it was a given.

"I'm your girlfriend?" She asked confused.

"Dammit Bayley. Are you serious? I thought we'd taken care of this on that first night. You agreed we were together, and now you have a problem with it?" His anger surprised her as he sat up and got off the bed.

"You've never called me that before Finn. You've never put any kind of label on this, I've never known what to think of it as," she said as she sat up to face him.

"Seriously? I don't introduce someone I'm just sleeping with to my friends like that. We've been practically living our lives together. How could you think I would treat you like that?" He implored her while leaning against the hotel dresser, facing her, raking his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I didn't know what to think Finn. We didn't exactly get together in a conventional way. We've also never had this discussion before. I was just trying to take it as it was and be happy with it," she said as she started tearing up. She should have figured out a way to ask him sooner. He looked so sad, disappointed, and angry. Really angry.

"What do you mean we've never had this discussion before? What do you call us talking about what we were that first morning?"

"You didn't say we were dating, you just said that we were together and we couldn't see anyone else. Those don't necessarily have to add up to dating. I didn't know what you wanted especially after I'd practically forced you into this."

"You didn't force me into anything. I don't understand how you can think that if we are together we aren't dating."

"We've never gone on a date. We just picked up where we left off with our friendship and added in the sleeping together part. How was I supposed to know you meant more?" She hugged her arms around her knees, tears pouring down her face. He was obviously frustrated, pacing across the room.

"If you wanted to go on a more formal date all you had to do was ask, I would have been happy to do it. I thought we were okay as is, we didn't need all of that getting to know each other part since we already knew each other, but I still don't understand why you think I would find it okay to be with you and not be more. I told you I'm not that kind of guy."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know okay. I've never done anything like this," she was still crying. He looked at her. His anger seemed to have faded some, but he was still obviously upset and frustrated. She was devastated. She hadn't meant to disappoint him, hadn't meant to make him think she thought of him as someone who would use her. She'd just been trying to accept it as it was, and enjoy what she had, to let him set the terms, just as he'd controlled everything else throughout this entire thing they'd had going on. She couldn't stop crying, which wasn't helping as it pretty much killed any ability to think rationally, and she didn't know what she could say to make it better. He said,

"Look, I need to think, I'm just gonna go for a little bit." He slipped on shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes, and was out the door before she knew it. She was left curled up on the bed, sobbing, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was terrified that they'd reached that moment that she'd been dreading since the beginning, and the thought that she might have lost him was even more crushing than she'd imagined it would be. She felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, and she had a moment of clarity. Despite what she'd told Sasha about not getting her heart involved she'd done it anyway. She was in love with him. Completely, irrevocably in love with him, and now he thought she didn't care, that she wasn't as invested in their relationship as he was.

She felt so stupid. She'd had no frame of reference to help her figure out where they stood after that first night, but she still should have known Finn wouldn't have accepted the maybe, sort-of relationship that she'd been thinking of it as. He'd always been honest about himself and his views on relationships. She'd always known he didn't date a lot because of the commitment he already had to wrestling and because he didn't want a string of meaningless affairs just to pass the time. She'd let her own insecurities and doubts due to her past experiences color how she'd viewed it all, and it might have cost her everything. She couldn't stop the tears so she laid down curled around a pillow and just let go until she had nothing left in her and she fell into a restless sleep.

...

She woke to the feel of him climbing into the bed with her. The first thing she did was say what she'd been thinking all night,

"I'm so sorry Finn," her voice hoarse from all of the crying she'd done earlier, and even though she'd felt like she cried herself out before, she could feel hot tears prickling her eyes again. She sat up and repeated herself as her eyes blurred, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...", and he pulled her into his arms, shushing her gently, and she buried her face into his chest. She gladly accepted the comfort he was offering, grateful he was back here and willing to give it.

"I'm sorry too love. You're right we never talked about labels, and I know all of the bullshit you've been put through in the past. I shouldn't have assumed we were on the same page. I never thought about how it would look from you perspective."

"But I know you aren't like that Finn, I do, I just didn't want to make assumptions, and I was afraid to ask for more."

"I know love," he said and cupping her face in his hands he kissed her forehead then her lips, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. Their eyes met and she was mesmerized. She couldn't interpret everything going on in his eyes, but she knew, most importantly, that she hadn't lost him, and that was all she cared about. He kissed her again and she tried to put the relief, the joy, and the love she felt into it as she kissed him back.

When she responded to his kiss he seemed to take that as a sign to continue. He laid her back down and trailed feather-light kisses down her neck and chest, pausing to suckle at each breast, his fingers ghosting over her skin. He bit gently at the skin under her breasts, nipping down her rib cage and side until he reached her hip which he kissed tenderly, first on one side then the other.

He was exceedingly gentle, treating her like she might break if he got too rough. Even so his touch never failed to set her ablaze, and she reached out wanting to do the same for him. She ran her fingers through his short hair, luxuriating in the soft feel of it, and trailed her nails lightly across his shoulders causing him to moan low in his throat. She ran her hands down his chest then carefully enclosed his hard length in her hand. He gasped as she began to stroke him. She enjoyed the warmth, the soft, almost silky feel of the skin, and the throaty, guttural sounds he made. His moans of pleasure went straight through her igniting the want deep inside.

She might have continued on with that indefinitely, but he took back over kissing her again, and she lost her concentration. He sought her tongue with his and she could taste the salt from her own tears, the slight hint of coffee and the unique flavor she'd come to know of as his. The thought that she might have lost this made it all the more precious. His touch, his affection soothing the heartache that their argument and the subsequent fallout had caused.

Though their sexual relationship to this point had been about exploring the many ways they could come together, it was no less enjoyable when he moved on top of her, trying something they'd never tried before-missionary position. She wrapped her legs around him allowing him the leverage he needed to hit her deep and steady. She was immersed in the feeling, enjoying how the position allowed her to see him, to see his pleasure. Now that she'd acknowledged it to herself, she couldn't help but marvel at the depth of what she felt for him, and how that seemed to intensify what she felt physically as well. Their eyes connected, taking her breath away as she saw the raw emotion in his gaze. The overwhelming feelings were all tangled up in the intense physical pleasure, and her orgasm crept up on her, taking her by surprise, and she was completely consumed by it. Her orgasm seemed to trigger his and he buried his face in her neck, clinging to her, the sounds of his moans so close she could feel them vibrate through her. Afterwards they stayed connected for several minutes holding each other, unwilling to let go until they had to.

She knew they needed to talk more, but the combination of the post-orgasmic bliss and the emotional exhaustion lulled them both asleep in minutes.

...

"Morning love," he said when she woke the next morning. She could tell he'd already been out because he had her favorite coffee waiting on her though he'd stripped back down to only his shorts and climbed back in the bed with her. She smiled in thanks after she sat up. Once she'd taken a sip of the hot brew she replied,

"Good morning." He smiled but allowed her a few moments to wake up, as she sipped on her coffee before he said anything else. Once she was a little more coherent he said,

"I want us to be dating, and I want you to be there on my birthday as my girlfriend. Do you have any objections to that?"

"No, no objections," she replied. He smiled his sweet almost shy smile and leaned over and kissed her briefly. He said,

"Good. Now about that date..." he started to say but she interrupted him,

"You don't have to worry about that Finn, I don't need that. I didn't mean to imply I did. I was just trying to point out that we skipped all those steps that normally signify the transition to being a couple which is why I didn't know."

"I know love. I realized that after I had a chance to process everything. I'm sorry I upset you so much by leaving last night. I just needed a chance to think, and once I did I could see where you were coming from, and whether you need it or not I want to take you on one anyway. We did skip all of those steps, and you deserve to have that."

"Okay," she said. She was telling the truth that she didn't necessarily need it, but it would mean spending time with him so she wasn't going to object either. She continued, "So are we okay now? Everything is good?"

"It's better than good. I think now it was bothering me because I thought you were holding back, that maybe you weren't happy with us, but now I know that you didn't even realize that I saw us that way, and it all makes a lot more sense. You're important to me Bayley. I've never had someone as close as we are as friends become more, and I don't want to lose that."

"You're important to me too. I was terrified I was going to lose you last night, that's why I got so upset." Though she didn't start crying again she could here the emotion in her own voice, a reminder of how easily things could have gone differently. He pulled her in his arms, offering silent comfort, and she was grateful that things had turned out even better than she could have hoped. Even with everything they'd revealed to each other, always in the back of her mind was the realization of what she felt for him.

...

"Alright. What happened?" Sasha asked later that day when they met up in the locker room.

"I think everything's okay now, but I should have listened to you."

"Did you finally talk to him?"

"No, but I should have, avoiding it kind of blew up in my face. Finn wants me to spend his birthday with him and his parents, and he got really upset when I told him it would make me uncomfortable."

"I told you he was a lot more invested than you thought he was."

"Yeah, I know, and you were right. He was pissed off and hurt when he realized I thought we weren't much more than friends with benefits. I should have known."

"Hey don't beat yourself up too much. Your ex really screwed up how you see relationships, and Seth didn't help any. Please tell me Finn eventually realized that, he knows your history as well as I do."

"He did actually, but only after he'd left and cooled off, in the meantime I thought I'd lost him, and I realized how much that would kill me," she hesitated for a second before she confessed, "I'm in love with him." It was the first time she'd said it out loud.

"Oh, sweetie, I know, it's why I was hoping you would talk to him."

"You knew? Because it was a total shock to me."

"Yeah I'm pretty sure everyone but you and Finn know. You also need to realize that you were the only one who thought your relationship with Finn was what you thought it was. Finn's been treating you like his girlfriend from the beginning, and he acts like the besotted boyfriend."

"Besotted? I think that's a bit much. I will admit that I guess I just saw a lot of it as an extension of our friendship, but now that I have my eyes opened I can see that yeah, it was more like a man would treat his girlfriend than like a man would treat a female friend."

"Well I'm glad you do see it now. So you said everything's okay, all of the drama is over?"

"Yeah, he came back and we both apologized and.. you know," she paused while Sasha smirked at her. She was never going to be comfortable saying it out loud no matter how much more confident she was with actually doing it. She continued, "and then this morning we agreed we're dating and he even wants to take me on an actual date even though I told him he didn't have to, so yeah we're good now."

"Did you tell him you love him?"

"No, I can't, not yet at least. We just got it settled that we are dating, I don't want to rush things and ruin it. I can't lose him, Sasha."

"I know. He's your best friend, your lover, and your heart all rolled into one man who means the entire world to you. I get it, and I want you to have that like I do. I always have, but the only way you are going to get it is if you're honest with him. Don't forget that for you the dating part still seems knew, but in Finn's eyes you guys have been together for a couple of months."

"I know, I just can't, not yet."

"You still need time to get used to it yourself, which I can understand, just don't wait too long."


	5. Confession

She lived in a state of complete bliss for weeks. Without all of the uncertainty plaguing her she was able to truly enjoy what it was like to really be with Finn, and it was amazing. She'd been nervous about going on the date that Finn had insisted on because she was at heart a tomboy and even though she'd learned over the years to embrace her more girly side for more formal occasions it still made her uncomfortable. He knew her very well though, surprising her with more than one "date" doing things that were definitely more her speed. They'd gone to a football game, gone hiking, and her favorite so far, he'd taken her zip lining. They'd had a blast each time, and if she hadn't already fallen in love with him, she wouldn't have lasted long under his campaign to make it clear how much he valued their relationship.

Her rose-tinted view of things made her oblivious though, which is why Seth was able to blindside her again one night at the arena.

"So he's the boyfriend now? I guess he couldn't introduce you to the parents as his fuckbuddy could he?" She was glad she and Finn had finally talked, if Seth had said something like that to her before, she knew it would have played into her insecurities and uncertainty about their relationship. As it was she felt her heart tighten a little until her brain kicked in and reminded her how upset Finn had been that _she_ had thought of them that way.

"It's none of your business what Finn and I are Seth, and you need to leave me alone. You aren't supposed to come near me. Are you really so obsessed that you're going to risk your job over it?" She really just wanted him to go away, but she knew he wouldn't be that easy to get rid of.

"Ha! Like they're going to fire 'The Man' over that. You don't have that kind of clout baby."

"God, I can't believe I fell for your bullshit for even a second. Grow up."

She got up to try and walk away, looking around for any of their friends. She saw the bald head of Luke down the hall and she tried catching his eyes with hers to get his attention without causing a scene, but Seth was like a rabid dog. He blocked her path and got in her face,

"Listen here you little bitch, you suddenly think you're too good for me because you've got Balor chasing after you, but I got news for you. As soon he's got what he wants out of you he's going to drop you in a heartbeat. You're going to come running back to me realizing I was right all along, and you'll be begging and pleading for my attention again. I might even give it to you after you make it up to me. Man is that going to be fun for me, but not for you, after the way you've acted you're going to have to work for it." She was starting to feel a little panicky. She couldn't see around him, and he was making her really uncomfortable with how close and overbearing he was, not to mention the crude implications of his words. She didn't want him to be aware of her fear, so she replied more confidently than she felt,

"That will be a cold day in hell before that happens. I wouldn't come near you again if you paid me to, now get out of my face Seth!" He hadn't actually touched her to that point, but her words seemed to trigger something and he grabbed her arm roughly trying to push her even further away from the people milling about. She would have screamed, to hell with causing a scene, but right at that moment Karl appeared like a guardian angel and she wanted to sob in relief.

"What the hell are you doing Seth?"

"Go to hell Karl, this is none of your business," Seth replied hardly even paying attention to him.

"I'm making it my business. The lady obviously doesn't want you touching her, so I suggest you let her go before things turn ugly." Seth finally looked up at Karl, realizing he wasn't going to be able to just brush him off, and finally, reluctantly released her. He scowled at the both of them before walking away, and she felt drained from the release of the tension, her body trembling involuntarily.

"Thank you so much," she said in relief.

"If Finn had seen that he might have actually killed him."

"God I don't even want to think about that. Thank God you were close. That was scary. He's always been obnoxious, but I've never seen him act like that. I don't want him near me ever again."

"Are you okay?"

"I think so, just really freaked out."

"I think you're going to have to be a lot more careful from now on."

"I know, it's just that I was already avoiding him, but it's hard when he works with us to avoid him completely."

"You can't be alone at work from now on, no matter what. I know that's inconvenient, but this can't happen again, and I think you and I need to go talk to Kurt too."

"I really don't want to, but you're right. I hate feeling like I'm causing drama, but I can't go through that again."

"He's obviously not going to listen to any of us if he didn't take Finn's message to heart. He's dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. I'd also really rather not have Finn lose his job or even worse go to jail over that idiot. We have to report this." She agreed and followed him to the GM's office.

Talking about the entire thing with Kurt was excruciating. She'd had to reveal details about her relationships with both Finn and Seth that she'd rather not have had to with her boss, but at least he'd taken the situation and her seriously. Karl had backed her up, giving as much detail as he could about what he'd seen, and she'd learned that her initial attempts to catch Luke's attention had been what alerted Karl to the situation. Despite the fact that it hadn't looked good for Finn when the first incident happened, in this case it helped because Seth had already proven once what he was capable of.

Once they'd reported everything and then repeated it a few times, and then filled out paperwork (it was way more complicated than she realized it would be) Karl accompanied her back to the women's locker room and passed her off to Sasha. She could tell already that feeling like her friends would have to babysit her was going to get old fast, and she hadn't even told Finn yet-she knew that wasn't going to go well. Karl had said he would give him the basics after Finn's segment was over, but she had a feeling that he was going to want her to be even stricter in her precautions.

...

She was right, and so was Karl. It was a good thing that Finn hadn't been the one around to come to her aid or he might really have killed Seth. As it was he flipped out just hearing about it, and as soon as Karl told him he came to find her. At first he'd just wanted to reassure himself that she was alright, but once he knew she was fine he started in on what she would have to do to stay safe in the future. He'd even wanted her to ask for time off. She hadn't even answered him when he suggested that, just given him a look that told him what she thought about it and he let the idea go. He was insistent though that she have someone with her at all times for the foreseeable future, including outside of work. He knew her too well and he made Sasha promise that she wouldn't let her slack off either. She could tell that Sasha was't sure if she should be offended that he thought it was necessary to even ask, but she humored him anyway, and Bayley knew neither one of them would let her get away with just letting it go.

Having to coordinate everything ahead of time constantly was annoying, but at least all of their friends didn't seem to mind, and it could have been worse. She got to spend a lot of time with people she liked so she couldn't complain too much, and Finn was with her every second he could be, his genuine fear for her easily making any irritation she might have felt melt away. She didn't even see Seth, backstage or otherwise, for a long time. She knew he was still on Raw, but she figured he must have finally gotten how serious everything was and had finally decided to let it go. She didn't say this to Finn or Sasha though, she knew neither would believe it.

It wasn't until the night after Summerslam that, despite all of their precautions, Seth finally got his revenge. She'd missed having a match because of an injury, but she'd been there to cheer on all of her friends, and she got to experience Finn's transformation to the demon for the first time since they'd gotten together. He'd been surprisingly uncomfortable with her seeing him like that, though she wasn't sure why. She could see that fire in him that she'd seen before when he'd attacked Seth, and all it made her want to do was drag him back to their room, paint and injuries be damned. He'd looked at her through almost otherworldly eyes once the transformation was complete and had stated,

"Stay safe." It was a command not a request, but it made her heart skip like he'd said so much more. She wanted to kiss him, but knew she couldn't now so she'd simply nodded and said,

"You too, I'll be waiting."

True to her word she was waiting in the hall outside of gorilla position when he'd finished. He'd taken one look at her and pulled her to him, claiming her mouth in a brief, but searing kiss. She'd responded enthusiastically ignoring the fact that he was drenched in sweat and still mostly covered in paint. Afterwards when he'd come down some from the high of the adrenaline, he'd wanted to take her back to their room and she would have been quite content with that, but they'd both promised their friends they would join them to celebrate, so instead they found themselves changing into more appropriate clothing and taking a cab to the bar that had been agreed on.

Despite their desire to be alone with each other they still had a great time with their friends. She'd nursed a beer, not wanting to drink much while she was working so hard to get better. Finn had had a couple himself, but not enough to impair him, and they'd enjoyed watching their friends let loose and decompress from all of the stress leading up to their second biggest show of the year.

Sasha was on cloud nine clutching her newly won title like it was her most prized possession. Bayley was happy for her, and hoped she'd keep it, there was no opponent she'd love to face more than Sasha when she was ready to reclaim her own shot at it. It was a plus that she'd taken it from Alexa, one of her least favorite people in and outside of the ring. She'd humored Sasha and let her go on about what she'd done in the match and what she planned to do to prevent Alexa from pulling one of her dirty tricks to take it back. Bayley knew all about Alexa and her dirty tricks and decided that she would help Sasha if she needed it and if the opportunity presented itself even though she'd vowed months ago that she wouldn't interfere in her friends matches after what had happened when she'd won the title from Charlotte. Alexa didn't deserve the same kind of respect that Charlotte had even at her worst.

Eventually Sasha started to wind down and once the adrenaline started wearing off she got quiet laying her head down on the table. Finn was still conversing quietly with Sami, and she knew they'd keep an eye on her so she slipped away to make a trip to the ladies room. The hall was poorly lit and she found herself surrounded by several large men before she had a chance to evade them. They were obviously drunk just from the smell of them, but even if that hadn't tipped her off their badly slurred speech was a dead give away. They were almost unintelligible and she had trouble understanding most of what they were saying, but their body language alone made her uncomfortable. They kept closing in on her, blocking any path of escape. All of them were quite a bit taller and larger than her, and the she felt that trapped feeling that she'd already experienced several weeks before with Seth who wasn't nearly as large as these guys. She panicked. She forgot that she knew how to defend herself and that she was much stronger than your average girl. It didn't matter with her heart beating so fast, she couldn't think straight. It was only instinct that had her lashing out when one of them reached out to touch her. She broke his nose in one well placed punch, blood spewing out everywhere from the force she'd put behind it. Unfortunately the action seemed to turn them into some kind of mob mentality, all of them coming at her at once like a pack of angry wolves. She caught a punch to the head, and everything went black.

...

When she came to she was lying on the ground and she groaned in pain. Finn was hovering close by, obviously worried and when the EMT tried to take a look at her he'd had to make Finn back off. Her head felt like she'd been hit with a wrecking ball not a fist, and she found out that she was lucky not to have suffered a concussion. Once she'd been cleared medically she was able to sit up and ask what had happened.

Finn wasn't in any state to explain anything, so Sami filled her in. Apparently the commotion that she had caused when she'd punched the first guy had attracted the attention of the crowd and then the bouncers, who'd broken up the fight to discover her passed out in the middle. They'd brought in the cops and the paramedics. When Finn had found out that she'd been the one passed out on the ground he'd flipped out. He'd tried to go after the group of guys who'd attacked her. Thankfully they'd already been cuffed and were in the process of being hauled off. Sami along with the aid of one of the cops had held him back long enough for him to come to his senses. Sasha later informed her that he'd been completely inconsolable while they'd waited to find out if she was okay.

She'd had to give a statement, and she'd been asked if she had anyone who might wish her harm. The cops said that some of the bystanders had reported that someone had been going around saying that his 'friend' really liked random bar hookups with multiple guys, and he was looking to see if anyone was interested for her. No one had been able to identify the guys, but most thought that he'd pointed at her when he'd been talking. She'd been about to tell them no before Finn cut in and informed the cops that she'd had a coworker who'd been harassing her. She didn't understand why anyone would do something like that to someone, much less to her, but she also didn't see how this could have had any connection with Seth. They'd taken it pretty seriously though especially because she'd already reported an incident to the company. She didn't say much except to give them the basics. She knew that this kind of thing could turn into a PR nightmare, and she didn't want to make false accusations or be connected to that kind of drama if she could help it, especially not without some kind of legal advice. They'd advised her that they'd be in touch, and let her friends get back to fussing over her. Finn had hovered close, always within touching distance, which she didn't mind, the incident had left her feeling vulnerable and his attentiveness helped alleviate that making her feel safe and cherished.

It wasn't until after they'd returned to the hotel room that she truly understood how the whole thing had affected Finn. As soon as they closed the door to their hotel room he'd pulled her into a tight embrace. Holding her to him, he kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, and her lips and she felt the wetness on her face and realized he was crying. He didn't say anything for a long time, didn't release her and she was content to feel him holding her. She'd escaped the whole ordeal relatively unscathed, but her sense of security had taken a severe blow. She needed his embrace as much as he obviously needed hers, and she was content to soak in the warmth and safety she always felt in his arms. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, and even when they pulled back some he didn't let her go. He finally spoke his voice rough with emotion,

"How's your head feeling?"

"Right now it hurts like hell. I've definitely had better days, but I'll be okay."

"I can't...I don't know how to tell you just how scared I was tonight when I saw you lying there," his voice was so choked he could barely speak. "I can't lose you Bayley. I can't. And for a minute there I thought I had. I thought I would never get to tell you everything that's been on my mind. How much you mean to me, how much you've always meant to me. Maybe I should pick a better time, but I can't not tell you any more," he cupped her face in his hands, "I love you. You are my whole world, and I don't want to even think about you not being a part of it."

She'd known after the last few weeks that she was important to him, but she'd still never expected his confession. It shattered her. She'd had a tumultuous night, and her emotions were already frayed. She'd immediately started crying, sobbing so hard she couldn't speak. Instead she'd kissed him, pouring her love into it even as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. When they broke for air, she was finally able to reply,

"I love you too. God I love you so much. I wasn't sure how to tell you, but I've known since that night when you got so mad at me because you thought I didn't want us to be together. I thought I'd lost you then, and it was devastating to realize how much I felt for you."

He kissed her this time, sweetly savoring her lips. She felt overwhelmed with joy and relief. He felt the same as she did. Who'd have ever thought that that crazy night, when she'd been so distraught and verging on depressed, that running into one of the last people she'd wanted to see would make such a big difference. At the time she thought she'd sealed the coffin on their friendship, that she was destined to lose him for good, only to discover that he could mean even more. When he spoke again though he surprised her with another revelation,

"I've been in love with you for a really long time, before we ran into each other that night, before Seth got into my head even. It's the only reason why he was able to. He knew, and he used it to his advantage."

"Really?" She asked bewildered. She'd had no idea, couldn't even fathom it.

"Yeah. It took me a little while to accept it, but I finally did before the draft. When I realized that we might not even be on the same brand any more I knew. With everything changing so much, and you still dating that guy I didn't think it was right to say something. I thought I was being the better man, but I was an idiot. It was ten times worse after I got hurt. You were on Raw, and I'd heard you'd broken up with your boyfriend, and I was stuck rehabbing my shoulder a half a world away feeling like I'd lost my chance. I got to see you in December and it was great, but you were distracted and the time flew by so fast, it wasn't nearly enough to figure out if you might be open to the idea. Then Seth was there in Orlando and I knew you and Sasha were friends with him, so I tried, but my heart wasn't in it. I was jealous that he'd been able to see you and be around you for months while I'd been stuck so far away, and he kept making all of these snide comments, and I just let him twist up my thoughts until I didn't know what to think anymore. It'd been so long since I'd really got to see you, and I don't think I really believed him, but I also couldn't seem to get his words out of my head. When I came back from injury I thought maybe I'd finally have a chance, but it was obvious you were into him, and I thought it was better to avoid you. It didn't work of course. I still couldn't stop thinking about you, and well then I saw you that night, and you know the rest."

"Why didn't you say something that night or the next morning?"

"Because you wanted some kind of no strings attached thing, and I knew there was no way I could take that, but I thought that if I said too much I would scare you off. Was I wrong?"

"I wouldn't like to think so, but maybe. I wasn't remotely rational that night, so who knows? And afterwards, well I don't know if I would have believed you."

"Everything happens for a reason. I never would have guessed that all of that would lead us here, but I can't regret it. You're it for me, and whatever it took to make that happen, whatever I had to go through, it was worth it."

After that they didn't say anything else. He kissed her again and then slowly stripped her clothes from her body. She pushed his t shirt up and he helped her remove it along with the rest of his clothing before he went back to her mouth. He took his time, kissing her slow and deep then trailing wet kisses over her skin. He laid her back on the bed, pulling her arms up over her head, running his hands up them and lacing his fingers with hers, his body pressed down into her. He tenderly kissed the sore spot on her temple and caught her gaze with his, the love and affection in his eyes so clear she wasn't sure how she could have missed it before. She felt so much, the physical sensations entangling with the joy and overwhelming love between them, and she wanted to return his passion, but he had her positioned so that she couldn't move, couldn't touch him at all. She marveled at how different it was, how he could have her so physically ensnared and yet she felt protected and desired. She loved the feel of his warm skin against hers, the heavy hard strength of his body, and the feel of his arousal against her thigh.

Still pressing her hands into the bed he took one nipple into his mouth and she gasped arching her back to encourage him. She felt like her nipple was directly connected to the most intimate part of her as it throbbed in time with the sensation. When he'd thoroughly loved one nipple he switched to the other to give it the same treatment then kissed his way back to her mouth. His tongue tangled with hers briefly before he finally released her hands. She immediately reached out running her fingers over his skin, the sensation all the more intense for having been denied it until now. She ran her hands up his back then through the soft hair at the back of his neck as he found the spot on her neck that he knew made her crazy. He sunk his teeth in applying firm pressure and adding just the right amount of sting to the pleasure. She gasped for breath and dug her nails into his skin, scraping them across his shoulder blades the way she she knew he liked it and causing him to moan low in his throat. He ran his hands down her body until he reached her hips and grasping her firmly he rolled them over then sat them up so that he was sitting on his ass on the bed and she was straddled across him on her knees. He lifted her hips, sliding his hands around until he had a firm grip on her ass then pulled her back down entering her and filling her completely. They both groaned from the pleasure of finally being connected.

He didn't give her long for her body to adjust before he began lifting her so that he slid in and out at a deliberate pace. Each time he pulled her back down it was with enough force to cause shocks of pleasure to shoot up through her belly and out into her body. Every nerve felt charged as they moved together, building the sensation, each wave overlapping the next until they blurred together and she couldn't think anymore, only feel. He took her mouth again in a deep, wet kiss before finding her eyes with his, the emotion so intense she could hold back no longer as she reached the pinnacle of pleasure and fell into the abyss, taking him with her.

She was floating, riding the waves of the aftershocks as she came down from her high. He'd fallen back against the mattress and she was draped across him, their bodies still connected. Eventually he pulled out and re-positioned them so she was cradled against his side, her head resting on his chest. She was so content, so happy, and as she drifted off towards sleep she knew that Finn was right. No matter how awful some of the last year had been, it was all worth it because it had led them here.

...

Author's Note: So that's it I think. I will leave it up to you whether you think Seth was the culprit and if he gets away with it or not. I would really, really appreciate any feedback on this. Did you know Finn was in love with her from the beginning? Did you think the sex scenes were hot? (I'll tell you a secret. I've never written a sex scene before. The last time in my life that I wrote I was too inexperienced myself to write anything credible.) Did you feel like the premise was believable?

Also no Seth's were harmed in the making of this fic. I actually really like Seth, he just made too much sense as the antagonist for this one.


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